Choosing Forgiveness (HFTH Bible Study)

In my years of working with families through ministry and in my real estate practice, I have seen tragic and unnecessary division between people due to the lack of forgiveness. This book is an amazing faith based study to bring healing and solutions to hurting people. In some cases the healing is needed for the person taking the study. In other instances it equips a lay person to facilitate forgiveness for others.

Does a great job of teaching what forgiveness and forgiving actually looks like in our day to day life and very applicable to any Christian at any point in their walk in faith

Wonderful study. Easy to study

The book was excellent for my class

Good and in shape

Forgiveness has been a major challenge in my life as a Christian. While commanded to ‘forgive as God forgives’ (Eph 4:32), how is this done? What is forgiveness and what does it mean when I say, “I forgive you”? How can I forgive when I have been terribly wronged by someone?When offered a free copy in exchange for my views about the book: “Choosing Forgiveness” by June Hunt from Hope for the Heart Ministries, I was hopeful that there would be answers to these questions. However, I was concerned that the information would be more “pop psychology” than solid theology. That concern was unwarranted as the aspects of forgiveness are explored from a strong Biblical perspective.Using the story of Corrie Ten Boom, World War II concentration camp survivor and a chance meeting after the war with one of the camp’s abusive guards who asks her forgiveness, the book takes the reader on an exploratory journey through the meaning and application of biblical forgiveness. The material is an easy read yet causes one to contemplate how God wants us to respond to the challenge to forgive.Those struggling with forgiveness will find this book useful, but it is also beneficial for obtaining a deeper understanding of the love and mercy and forgiveness offered by God, and how this can impact our daily life. The structure of the book seems like it would work well for both individual or group study on the subject.

Forgiveness is not for the faint of heart. June Hunt, the author of this Bible Study, candidly declares, “There is no shame in the struggle to forgive. The struggle is real.” Having said that, she also points out that while forgiveness is not easy, nor does it come naturally, forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion. More importantly for believers, forgiveness is not an option.It’s a commandment.This 6 – Session Bible study meets all the expectations that one would desire from a high-quality curriculum. I was impressed and encouraged with the sections that covered the expectations of the Bible Study, and the notes to the student(s) and the leader(s) that set the tone for a successful, interesting, and motivating Bible study on the topic of forgiveness. I was especially excited to see a clear, concise, and decidedly un-apologetic presentation of the plan of salvation in the opening pages. Too often this presentation is placed at the end of the Bible study, and its position there provides the opportunity to treat it as a kind of afterthought.With great open-ended questions that really get the ball rolling, Scripture passages that are central to the topic (not just “proof-texting,”), discussion questions at the end of each session and suggestions for concrete application, I just really feel like June Hunt hit the ball out of the park with this Bible study. Another exciting feature that one can anticipate are “Fill-In-The-Blank” sample prayers related to the topic of forgiveness. I’ve printed one off and have it hanging on my study wall, even as I’m writing this review.June Hunt uses the testimony of Corrie Ten Boom as a backdrop for her study sessions, and I’m not going to steal all of her thunder, but I can’t help sharing the final conclusion that Corrie Ten Boom arrived at when faced with the challenge of forgiveness:“When Christ tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself.”Corrie Ten BoomWhat better invitation to explore this difficult topic of forgiveness?